


The Space Between Us

by hinaep



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Summer Love, i intend to put a lot of angst in this, ill put more characters as the story goes on, stupid idiots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinaep/pseuds/hinaep
Summary: nya
Relationships: Selma/Maryam
Comments: 5





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> hey besties this is my first fic so OFC it had to be me and sels love story 😁☝  
> if u really wanna get into ur feels reading i have a playlist for this https://open.spotify.com/user/r4pck7fpol5p1t6y3b03dwkbr/playlist/4nzlcBMaF9Tn7R8z31lEUU?si=Dirk-RpuQOWL7wpOKiIuNA

Maryam wasn't used to the bustling city. She had spent the majority of her life in the countryside, working in the fields with her only relative, her grandma. But once she turned 17 and her grandmother had passed away, Maryam had decided it was time for a fresh start. And so here she was, in the streets of Tokyo doing just that.

The first week Maryam spent in Japan was, exciting, to say the least. One of her closest friends, Nemma had found her a decent apartment and even a part time job at a convenience store close by. Maryam was truly grateful for everything Nemma did for her but she still felt as if there was more out there waiting for her. So on a Saturday morning, Maryam decided to venture out of her apartment and explore Tokyo. She slung her yellow backpack over her shoulders, pulled on her white converses and headed out. 

Honestly, Maryam had no idea where she was going or where to go but to her that just added to the excitement of it all. There was so much to do, so many places to visit it was almost overwhelming. She was so overcome by her thoughts she almost didn't hear the faint yell from her right. Her eyes widened in a mix of shock and fear as she saw a figure on a bicycle coming in her direction at full speed. For a few moments Maryam just stood still not knowing what to do until the sound of screeching breaks brought her back to reality and she quickly darted out of the way. She landed on the floor with a loud thud as the figure also crashed down to the warm cement. Maryam quickly jumped up to her feet as she took in the person before her. They had dark shoulder length hair and white baggy trousers with a light blue top. It was an understatement, really, to say they were gorgeous. They looked up, still on the floor, and said with as amused look, "Hey you should really pay more attention to your surroundings you know!" A blush crept up on Maryam's face as she stuttered "I-I'm sorry!" The girl just laughed at her response and said, "Don't worry about it! So, are you gonna help me up or what?" Maryam's blush deepened and she extended her hand with a cry, "Oh yes! Of course!" The girl pouted a little as they brushed themselves off, "So... do you live near here or something?" they asked. "Oh yeah!" Maryam pointed to behind them, "just a few blocks away! I actually just moved here last week!" The girl raised their eyebrows and responded, "Oh so you're new around here huh? You're gonna love it here it's a pretty cool place." They smiled at each other for a few seconds before a sudden beeping noise coming from the girl's watch and they looked down in alarm, "Oh fuck I'm late..." They reached down to grab their bike and hopped on. "Well, I'll see you soon!" they said as they rode off into the distance, leaving Maryam waving slightly, at a loss for words. 

"i hope we do", she thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i also just wanted to add that this chapter is kinda ib This Summer Love by ThatRainbowGeek!!  
> i didnt realise how short this was till i typed it all out... anyways ill update soon!


	2. Just a lot of Wingmanship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So a reunion of some sorts? And Maryam makes a phone call... 🤔🤔

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi besties the chapter title is kinda wack sorry lmao i didnt know what to call it  
> reminder to listen to the playlist shawties https://open.spotify.com/user/r4pck7fpol5p1t6y3b03dwkbr/playlist/4nzlcBMaF9Tn7R8z31lEUU?si=jdt-QI88SUyMumyMbYsqHg

SELS POV:

Selma ran into the café panting as the bell attached to the door notified their colleagues of their arrival.  
“Sel, you’re 20 minutes late. That’s not like you,” Selma’s manager, Kam said with a pout on their face.  
“Y-yeah… I’m sorry about that, my alarm didn’t wake me up and then m-my bike crashed,” Selma replied, struggling to catch their breath.  
“HA! Like we’d believe that!” Another voice spoke, “You’re hungover aren’t you Sel? Did you go clubbing last night?” they chuckled.  
“Wha- I- no! Shut up Gen!” Selma stammered, “I swear my bike crashed into this girl and we-” Interrupting Selma, Kam said, “Okay Sel, you can tell us all your love story later; we’ve got work to do. C’mon you can be on coffee duty.” Kam threw Selma an apron and as they fastened it around their waist another friend of theirs, Iris, appeared at Selma’s side with a cheeky grin.  
“What…” Sel asked their friend. Iris’s grin grew wider as she said, “A girl, huh? You need to tell me everything: what was their name, where do they live did you get their number?”  
Selma blushed profusely at these words and let out a hushed cry, “I-its not like that! I just crashed into her with my bike and then we spoke for a bit and then I came here nothing else! I- I didn’t even get her name…” they finished sadly.  
Iris let out a cry, “WHAT,” before being shushed by Selma; they didn’t need everyone to know about what exactly happened. Iris gave Selma an apologetic look before continuing in a whisper, “WHAT? Are u crazy Selma?!? You bump into a cute girl AND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HER NAME!?” Sel was taken aback by this statement and replied, “Well I- I’m sorry okay, it was the rush of the moment it’s not like I had time, I was already late here!”  
“Sorry to interrupt your little gossip, guys but we’re opening soon so get ready you know how busy Saturday mornings are!” Kam called to them. Iris gave Sel a distraught look as if to say “you’re hopeless” but retreated to the grill, leaving Selma in thought. 

MARYAMS POV:  
The rest of the day didn’t end up as planned for Maryam. The time she was supposed to be spending sightseeing Tokyo she spent in a small park thinking about the girl she had just met. She internally cursed herself over and over. She didn’t even get their name, let alone their number!  
“So stupid, so so stupid,” she thought to herself. The girl’s final words to her, however, still lingered in her mind. “I’ll see you soon,” they said. Maryam was just counting on those words. She had no other way to contact or find them, but maybe the universe will be in their favor. Just maybe.

A couple hours later, Maryam began to feel hungry and decided to go somewhere to eat. She pulled out her phone and saw that the nearest café to her was only a few minutes away. Now enthusiastic to taste the flavors and cuisine of Tokyo, she followed the directions and opened the door to a homely-looking café. The bell rang and Maryam stepped inside. She looked around for a barista, or a waiter, someone to go to and get some food. What she wasn’t expecting was to lock eyes with the very person she had been thinking about all day. Maryam was struck by surprise. She stuttered for a few seconds before Selma spoke first.  
“Oh! You’re the girl I bumped into this morning… damn it really is a small world huh,” Selma managed to keep their cool but on the inside her mind was buzzing with thoughts. Iris picked up on Selma’s words and rushed towards the counter, “OMG SO YOU’RE THE GIRL SELMA HAS BEEN TALKING TO ME ABOUT ALL MORNING!” she cried. Maryam was surprised by this news but Selma quickly brushed it off, “N-no it wasn’t all morning I was just explaining why I was late!” they coughed and Selma and Maryam held eye contact for a few moments before Maryam quickly said stumbling over her words, “Yeah! Man its really such a surprise to see you here, I-I was hungry so I decided to get something to eat I’m not stalking you or anything, I didn’t even know this is where you worked! Haha..”  
Selma gave her a small smile before asking, “It’s fine, I don’t mind really! So uh what did you want to get?”  
“U-uh actually I think I lost my appetite, so weird right! Haha well uh I’ll get going now I’ve got a lot to do you know, busy busy! Ahaha well uh bye!” Maryam answered rapidly as she turned to the door to exit. Iris’s eyes widened. She gave Selma a nudge and Selma instinctively called, “HEY WAIT!” Maryam turned from the door, “Yeah?” she asked. “Uh I just wanted to know what your name is…” Maryam gave them a smile and answered, “My name… it’s Maryam!” Selma gave Maryam a completely serious look and replied, “Mine’s Selma. I want to see you again, soon maybe?” Before opening the door to head out Maryam called back, “Yeah, I think I’ll come back here again!” 

Iris smiled to herself. Her job here was done.

-

The next day Maryam briefly considered meeting Selma again. But then, what would she say? What if Selma didn’t really want to see her again, maybe they just felt bad for her? She wasn’t sure what to do next. So she did what she did in any bad situation, and called Nemma.  
“Hey!”  
“Oh, hey Maryam! What’s up!” Nemma replied.  
“Uhm, I kinda have a dilemma…”  
“Oh, I'm the perfect person for dilNEMmas! AHAHA did you see what i did there? Anyways, say less. I’m coming over right now,”  
And with those last words, Nemma hung up. Maryam smiled a bit. Nemma was good in these situations and she was glad she had someone as reliable as her. About 15 minutes later, as expected, Maryam’s doorbell rang and she got up to answer the door. Nemma stood there smiling, carrying a few bags, which was more than what Maryam expected. “W-what’s all this?” she asked. Nemma’s smile widened and she said, “You had a problem right? Well along with my excellent brains I also brought some takeaway! Oh, and a friend. She’s not much good with problems but she’s fun! Here, this is Lia.” Behind Nemma a girl who Maryam guessed was Lia waved enthusiastically, “HEY!” “Oh, hey! You guys can come in! Just sit wherever!” Maryam replied.  
Lia and Nemma made themselves comfortable on the grey sofa and Nemma spoke as she opened the ramen boxes, “So, let’s cut to the chase. What happened?”  
Lia leaned forward, apparently very keen to know the story.  
“W-well, uh, yesterday I bumped into this girl and we- they- I saw them again later that day.., and I- I wanna see them again!”  
Giggles erupted out of Lia as Maryam blushed and Nemma shushed Lia. “Shut up Lia! Having feelings is perfectly normal, don’t worry Maryam we will support you through all this, now let’s go to them and-“  
“Hey uh, I never said I had feelings for them, I just wanna see them again! Is it that abnormal for two people to want to be FRIENDS?” Maryam cried.  
“Heh, not if you’re feeling that nervous about it all!” Maryam gave Nemma a look and Nemma sighed, “Whatever you say Shawty,”  
“Ahem, well their name is uh Selma and the only thing I know about them is that they ride a bike. That’s how we met. They crashed into me and then uh yeah…”  
Lia cried with her mouth full of noodles, “YOU GUYS MET OVER A BIKE CRASH? DUDE THAT’S SO ROMANTIC,”  
Maryam replied, flustered, “I- I told you it’s not like that! How can it be romantic I barely know anything about them…”  
“And that, my dear friend, is where we come in,” Nemma looked over to Lia, who was spilling ramen all over Maryam’s sofa, “Well, that’s where I come in. Just relaaaax! You and this Selma will practically be best friends by the end of the week. Trust me.”  
Maryam gave Nemma and Lia a smile and said, “I do! I trust you completely. Thank you.” 

I literally do not know how to close chapters goodnight but yeah that’s chapter two done besties!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls im so new to writing idk what im doing i just made random breaks in the dialogue hope it makes sense xox leave comments asf!


	3. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay besties🤏

“So uh… what am I supposed to wear?” Maryam asked her friends.

“Here’s an idea. Maybe clothes?” Lia snickered. Maryam gave her an annoyed look and Nemma intervened, “Shut up Lia. Maryam, stop overthinking this. What do you normally wear when you go out?” 

Maryam thought for a bit before pulling out a zip up hoodie and baggy jeans, “I mean I guess this…”

Interrupting her, Nemma said, “Then wear that! It’s really not a big deal Maryam you’re just gonna go to wherever Sel works, get their number and then maybeee hang out for a bit and then come home!”

Maryam frowned a bit before saying, “I’m still not too sure about this. What if they’re busy? I really shouldn’t interrupt them if they’re working…” 

“Are you sure you don’t have a crush, Maryam? You wouldn’t be overthinking about this if you didn’t, you know!” Lia’s grin widened.

“No I don’t have a crush okay! Just give it a rest already,” Maryam said, putting on her jacket, “I just moved here and I wanna find some new friends! Apart from you two of course.”

Maryam looked at herself in the mirror. Was this really a good idea? The last thing she wanted was to be a burden. She shook these negative thoughts out of her head and turned to Lia and Nemma, “Okay, let’s go!”

-

Lia strode into the café first, confident and smiling as usual. Maryam felt Nemma freeze in shock beside her as she stared at the head waiter speaking to Selma. Nemma then nudged Maryam with a hushed cry, “You didn’t tell me this is where Sel works!”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Maryam replied with a confused look.

Nemma pointed to who Selma was talking to, “You see that person? I’ve, well, kinda had a crush on them since I first started coming here.”

Hearing this, Lia turned around and said, “Ugh, I’m tired of hearing about your love lives, let’s just get some food already!”

“HER love life, you mean,” Maryam pointed to Nemma, “I told you a million times I just want to be Selma’s friend. NOTHING MORE.”

“Mhm okay,” Lia smirked.

“NEMMA! HEY, I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU FOR AGES!” Kam walked over to them and gave Nemma a hug. Nemma froze for a few moments before hugging them back, “Y-yeah sorry, I’ve just been really busy lately.”

Kam pulled away and smiled, “It’s okay, you’re here now! Do you guys wanna order or…?”

“Yep, table for three please!” Lia called.

“Okay, just get seated I’ll send Sel over in a bit,” Kam said.

They got seated and soon Sel came over. When they saw Maryam sitting there a smile appeared on their face, “Hey, you came!” 

“Yeah I just wanted to uh…” Maryam rd.

“Yeah, yeah, does this cake have dairy? I’m lactose intolerant,” Lia asked, pointing to the menu. 

“Uh- probably. I’ll go check right now,” Sel said, leaving the table.

Maryam nudged her friend and asked, “Why did you say that? I know you’re not lactose intolerant, we had ice creams the other day…”

With a giggle, Lia replied “Oh yeah, I’m not really lactose intolerant, I just didn’t want Selma to hear what I’m about to say.”

“What…”

“Dude, they’re so fine, y’all need to get together or something before I make a move.”

Nemma stared at Lia with a straight face and just said, “What the fuck.”

“HEY DID I LIE THOUGH?”

Maryam knew she didn’t. Yeah, Sel was attractive and all, their hair and facial features were all so pleasing, so perfect to look at…

Maryam quickly snapped herself out of these thoughts. What the hell was she thinking? And as if on cue, Selma returned to their table and said to Lia, “Yeah, sorry the cake does have dairy. Do you want something else?”

“Nono, it’s okay!” Lia responded dramatically, “I’ll risk it! Anything for the cake!”

Selma then turned to Maryam and asked, “and what about you?”

Maryam’s mind went blank. “Uh, ill just get whatever she’s getting,” she replied feebly, gesturing to Lia.

“Yup, me too!” Nemma intervened, “and you should get something too and join us! There’s a free seat next to Maryam!”

Sel looked at Maryam for a moment before turning and saying, “I don’t know…”

“Oh come on! When’s your next break?” Nemma asked.

Glancing at her watch for a moment, Sel looked up and answered, “Uh, 10 minutes- “

“Perfect! You can sit with us then!” Nemma persisted, “It’s okay with you guys, right?” she asked Lia and Maryam, who both nodded in response.

“Okay, I’ll be back in 10 minutes then,” 

“Wait!” Lia suddenly cried, “Who the hell is that? She asked, pointing to a figure, enthusiastically sat at the desk.

Sel looked at the direction Lia was pointing at, “Oh, him? That’s Venti, he’s a new waiter here.”

And it seemed like Lia suddenly had stars in her eyes as she replied with a small, “Wow…”

Sel awkwardly stood there before leaving the group to get their orders.

“Look who has a crush now!” Nemma sneered.

“Ugh can you blame me? Look at him!”

Nemma looked behind her with a sigh before turning back, “Wow,” she breathed.

“Hey I called dibs!” Lia said.

“You can’t call dibs on a person,” Maryam laughed.

Annoyed, Lia replied, “Ugh whatever! Point is, none of you rats make a move on him okay?”

Sel returned with their puddings with a sigh, “Sorry if it took too long, Venti broke the coffee machine…”

“Ahaha! Was he trying to make a venti?” Nemma laughed aloud at her own joke, “…Anyways thanks Sel this looks really good!”

“Thanks, it’s one of our specials,” 

“So are u gonna sit with us or what?” Maryam smiled at Sel, patting the seat beside her.

Sel sat down next to Maryam and they proceeded to eat their deserts.

In an attempt to make conversation, Sel said, “So, uh, Maryam, you never mentioned where you work,”

“Oh yeah, there’s a convenience store about 10 minutes away, I kinda just help out the store owner there, you know, 

deliveries and stuff, sometimes I take care of the shop when he’s out. Nem is actually the one who found it for me!” Maryam responded. 

“Mhm, my dad is friends with the owner so I know him pretty well,” Nemma explained, licking the icing off her spoon.

Maryam turned to Sel and asked, “Which part of town do you live?”

“Actually my apartment’s pretty close to here, I’ll take you there after I finish my shift if you want,”

“Uh, sure okay!”

The four sat in silence, eating their desserts until Lia suddenly stood up.

“Okay that’s it. I’m going over there and talking to him. Wish me luck guys,” she announced.

Nemma saw Kam at the counter and said, “Oh, and I just need to catch up with Kam; we haven’t spoken in ages. See you later, Maryam, it was nice meeting you, Sel.”

And then it was just Maryam and Sel at the table.

“Well, I’m finished. Do you wanna come to my apartment now?” Sel asked, putting their jacket on.

“Sure!” Maryam replied.

-

Sel’s apartment was a very pleasant place, not too fancy but not too drab. They didn’t care much for keeping it clean but they couldn’t find ways to make it messy either. As Maryam walked in she marveled at the difference to her own apartment, which was definitely much smaller and messier.

“Woah…” she gaped. 

Sel smirked as they hung up their bag and coat, “Right? I mean I can’t take all the credit, Iris helped me decorate it when I first moved in, but I still feel like it’s missing… something,”

“It looks really good! When did you move in?” Maryam questioned.

A sigh escaped Sel, “I think uh… last year maybe? I don’t really remember honestly, but I guess sometime after…” Sel trailed off. Maryam guessed it was a sensitive subject and decided not to press any further. Sel looked up to Maryam and smiled softly, “What about you? Why did you decide to come to the famous city of Tokyo?”

“My grandmother died a few months ago. I thought it would be a nice change from the countryside and, well isn’t Tokyo where all the interesting stuff happens?” 

Sel let out a chuckle and took a seat on a chair, “That’s what you’d like to think, right? I mean, I guess it is pretty cool, and there’s always something to do, but it’s not like all the movies say. At least, for me it isn’t anyway.”

Looking up at Maryam, Sel gestured to the seat beside them, “You can sit down you know,” 

“Oh, thanks,” Maryam smiled.

“Hey, do you play Genshin Impact? We can play together if you want?” Sel asked.

“Uh, I’m still pretty new to it, I don’t think I’m on a high enough level to play with other people.” Maryam answered.

“Oh, that’s okay. I can help you reach it if you want,” 

“Okay! Thanks again!” Maryam beamed.

“No problem, that’s what friends are for right?” Sel said, getting up to get their laptop from their bedroom.

Friends. Maryam liked that. She didn’t have many friends growing up. A lot of them were very much come-and-go, they’d play together for a few months, and then they’d leave her for someone else. It got to a point where Maryam got used to it and didn’t even mind anymore, until she met Nemma. Even after Nemma moved to Tokyo for her dad’s work, they still kept in contact. Maryam hoped it would be like that with Sel too.

When Sel returned, they asked, “Do you play on PC or phone?” 

“My laptop, I didn’t bring it though, it’s in my apartment,” Maryam responded.

“Okay, that’s fine! I use PC but I have it downloaded on my phone too, here,” Sel handed Maryam their phone, and Maryam tentatively took it. The phone case was blue and simple, pretty much like their apartment. Maryam smiled. 

“Oh, speaking of phones, I never got your number!” Sel suddenly said, “Just make yourself a new contact,”

Maryam paused for a second, but filled in their contact details into Sel’s phone. God, this is so real, she thought.

“Cool! Now you don’t have to come to my work every time you wanna talk to me,” Sel smirked.

“I-I’m sorry!” Maryam stuttered.

“it’s fine, stupid! I was just joking,” Sel said.

Maryam’s surprised face turned into a smile. For the rest of the evening Sel and Maryam played Genshin. Sel surprised Maryam with their cooking abilities, which Maryam cursed herself when she underestimated Sel’s cooking when they worked in a café. So stupid. 

“It’s already 8pm!” Maryam gasped, looking at the clock.

“Really? Wow, time flies,” Sel replied.

“Mhm. Well, I’d better go then…” Maryam said, getting up from her seat.

“Are you sure? You can stay over if you want,” Sel offered.

Maryam considered this for a bit, but she decided she had bothered Sel too much anyway. “Uh, I wouldn’t want to be a distraction. I saw the revision sheets on your desk, you have a test tomorrow right?” 

Sel suddenly got up, “Oh shit, I forgot. Hey you don’t go to my college, do you? Where do you go to school?”

Maryam blushed and looked down, “I don’t…”

“You don’t? What do you mean you don’t?” Selma pressed.

When Sel saw Maryam get more embarrassed, they sat down next to her and said, “Oh. I’m sorry,”

“It’s fine. It’s not a big deal really, I’ve wanted to go to college but it’s just so expensive, and there wasn’t much education where I grew up.”

“Well, you can still go. Just… get a student loan and apply for one. You’re pretty smart, I’m gonna guess.”

“Mm, kinda,”

“Well, let me know what you decide,” Sel said.

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then?” Maryam asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

Maryam felt one thing as she left Sel’s apartment. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk.


End file.
